Merry Christmas for the Opposition
by Pissed off Canadian
Summary: Larry's late-night computer session gets turned into an interesting new friendship when one of his greatest enemies shows up - to deliver a simple Christmas present.
1. I Can't Sleep

**Here's for you guys! A Christmas gift to the reader from me. I love this holiday, so I decided that I might as well write a story for it. I'm sure this can be enjoyed anytime of the year, though!**

**This is my first time writing with the first person point of view, so I'll have to use a couple slightly different methods. The story is told through the eyes of Larry Koopa. **

**I hope you readers enjoy it, and Merry Christmas.**

**Might as well: **

**All Nintendo characters belong to Nintendo**

**'CM Storm' is a trademark of Cooler Master**

* * *

My eyelids were finally starting to sag amongst the bright light of the displays. I checked the bottom-right corner of the main, and noticed just how early in the morning it was.

"I need to get to bed soon," I quietly mumbled to myself. I checked back on the time, and graciously saw '4:25 AM' sitting on the corner of my display. "I'll do that later," I silently continued.

At this point, I realized just how dehydrating the coziness of my room was. This room was much warmer than mine back at the castle mostly due to the fireplace in the living room. I shook my head slightly in order to clear my mind, and then turned myself towards the wooden door on my right. I felt glued to my seat; getting up seemed nearly impossible. I yawned deeply before lazily pushing myself up, and then I realized just how desperately I needed to catch some rest as we were awaiting a very bright and cheerful morning.

The heaviness of my own body nearly pushed me back down, though I managed to stay upright. I yawned deeply once again before stumbling across my room. The red shag carpet and bright wood ceiling appeared very cozy and inviting, though my thirst needed to be quenched. Carefully, as to not make any noise, I rotated the brass handle on my door and slowly stepped outside. I immediately felt the house's chill as the door swung open – the warmth of my bedroom was to blame.

I walked into the vertically spacious living room where the kitchen was attached to. There was no sign of life in the house except for the Christmas tree; blinking and shining radiantly from the loft. I smiled at the festive monument before continuing towards the kitchen.

The cold water tap on the counter was a sight to behold. At this point, my throat was beginning to ache, and I needed hydration immediately.

I slowly walked over to the faucet, and reached for the lightly-colored wooden cupboards above it. There were tall glasses in there – one of which I pulled out. I gently set the crystal below the tap, and then pushed on its handle. Before me, pure water slowly poured out into the glass. I was almost able to taste it as I watched.

The clear liquid reached near the top of the glass, so I pulled it back after shutting off the tap. Then, I drowsily brought it up to my snout and took a swig.

I felt the highly relieved as the cold water hit the back of my dry throat. I smiled in relaxation, and then set the glass back down on the counter. My stomach suddenly growled at me, reminding me how I hadn't eaten anything since the previous day. I peered towards the right side of the counter and saw a crystal cake platter – perfectly displaying a highly appealing Christmas fruit cake. There was about half left, and I couldn't hold myself back: I needed to eat something.

I picked up my glass of water, and then walked over to the end of the counter where the crystal display platter was resting. The contained fruit cake was round and colorful; inviting me to indulge. I carefully pulled the lid from the platter and then set it down on the granite countertop. There was already a knife on the platter at my convenience which I picked up and used to slowly cut through the dense and moist cake. A dark liquid seeped out of the rich porous cake, forming a pool at the base of the serving dish. My mouth watered at the sight, and at the thought of eating such a delightful treat.

There were dishes above me on a shelf, so I pulled one down in order to set the cake on it. The cake's contained liquid threatened for it to disintegrate, but I managed to transfer it to the plate in one piece.

There it was before me – vibrantly speckled with chunks of colorful fruit; oozing a light-brown liquid from which it was soaked. A beautiful piece of desert lay before me – ready to be carried over to the living room for me to enjoy. I picked up a fork from an adjoining drawer, and then steadily walked over to the living room. Once there, I silently plopped myself down on one of the plump red leather couches. My body immediately sank in, and my mind threatened to shut down. I shook my head once more, and managed to partially recover my thought process. I quietly placed my dish onto a wooden end table to the right of the couch, and then glanced around the room. I noticed something – the fireplace was dimmer than usual. Someone would have to maintain it, and I was the only one awake.

"I'll do that before I head back," I silently muttered to myself with a smile. I was usually rather unmotivated, but that trait was amplified this early in the morning. Before anything else, I was going to enjoy the scrumptious cake on my right. I picked it up, and pulled it over onto my lap. My eyelids' weight was increasing by the second, so I decided that the cake would introduce some sugar to give me a boost. It did appear rather sweet and sugary, so I assumed it would awaken me.

The fork was resting on the plate, so I picked it up and used it to slice through the soaked desert. The same light brown liquid as before seeped out as the steel made its way through. The sweet smell of fruit and cake met my nostrils, along with a rich spiced aroma that tickled the back of my throat. I smiled with my mouth watering before carrying the first piece up to my snout.

I brought the piece into my mouth, and savored every moment of it; from the way it melted, to the liquid seeping out. I was immediately pleased with the cake: cinnamon with ginger, and bits of dried fruit speckled all over the place. There was also the soaked-up liquid: spiced and rich, leaving a slight burn as it went down my throat. I disregarded the burning sensation as it was barely noticeable, but in the end it added to the flavor of the cake. I could not be more satisfied with it.

I leaned back in the plush couch. The cake was amazing; the fire was warm. This brought me to thinking about the fire once more. The last bit of wood inside was depleting; struggling to maintain a flame. I decided to tend the fire once I had my fair share of cake. After that, I'd be more than ready to fall asleep. I was nearly passed out here despite having some tasks at hand. I giggled to myself once again, and proceeded to take in more of the cake. As before, it was perfect. I felt as though I'd be munching on it all night.

Minutes passed in front of the warm fire. The living room was cozy; I almost succumbed to my tiredness multiple times, but I managed to keep going. As I finished off the cake, I noticed a cozy and warm sensation building up in my chest. I enjoyed every bit of that treat; from the fruit speckles to the deep warm feeling at the end; every bit of it was delightful. This led me to the decision that I needed more; it was right in the kitchen, and I still contained the required energy to obtain it. I got up, and tiredly stumbled my way back over to the kitchen at the back end of the living room. As before, I carefully set more cake on my plate, though this time I took three pieces as the first one was amazingly satisfying.

I slowly walked back to the couch in the living room. My chest was growing increasingly warm, which only relaxed me further. I was highly relaxed at this point, and the coziness all around added to that. My body sank into the warmth of the couch, threatening to shut down instantly. I refused, however, and took a deep breath that managed to wake me up slightly – just enough to keep me going longer.

I spend the next several minutes sitting by the dying fire, finishing off the delightful slices of cake. I gently set the plate over to my right once it was cleared, and then leaned back in the softness of the leather. My throat stung slightly due of the cake's liquid, though the sensation was not unpleasant. I felt very warm and cozy – perfect for the holiday.

I nearly drifted off momentarily, though managed to prevent myself from doing so. I regained my relaxed state of mind, and then glanced across the room. The fire was nearly out like before, and someone needed to feed it. I was the only one awake at the time, and maintaining the fire would prevent the need for it to be relit, thus saving someone the trouble of doing so. I sighed at the mere thought of applying effort, though I managed to pick myself up. My body felt very heavy, and I acutely struggled to maintain my balance as I walked over to the door. I was still in complete control, though just not to my full extent.

I stood before the dark wooden door after a moment – happily gazing at it before realizing what lay ahead: a thick carpet of snow. The light grey carpet of the living room was more inviting, but treading through the snow was in order to reach the wood pile. On the plus side, it wasn't located very far from the entrance of our house.

I shook my head in regret, and slowly pushed the door open. As expected, there was a thick haze falling upon a thick white blanket of snow. The patio before me was covered by a deck above, but no protection lay between myself and the woodshed. It was just on my right – a great distance for my increasingly difficult to control body. My exhaustion grew by the second, and my body seemed to lessen in responsiveness from my movements. I also felt very calm and happy which clouded my perception of reality.

Despite my exhausted state of mind, I stepped forward into the deep snow which stuck to my feet with every step. The wood shed was only a small distance away, though my body was growing increasingly difficult to control. My motor skills were slowing down; I was becoming more relaxed; my coordination seemed unresponsive. I was able to walk, though not without stumbling and swaying about.

Despite my body's delayed responsiveness, I brought myself to the woodshed. I was on the verge of freezing at this point, though the warmth in my chest countered that sensation. All that remained was to carry back enough wood to feed the fire which wouldn't be a very significant quantity.

The building before me was relatively simple: an ordinary wooden roof supported by four posts at each corner. Situated below was a large pile of neatly stacked wood – precut into perfectly-sized pieces. I clumsily picked up two; one in each hand, before hearing something moving about the stillness of the night. There was no light source except for what was reflected from the house, so I was unable to see anything.

Paranoia kicked in after a moment. I silently set down both pieces of lumber, then remained motionless – listening closely to the sounds emanating from the darkness. Footsteps – steady and well-placed. I slowly curled up at the side of the woodpile in attempt to hide myself. I was unable to see anything, causing the sound source to remain hidden.

I heard a voice a second later. I clumsily gripped the top of the woodpile, making myself more visible and vulnerable. My fading balance and increasingly muffled perception of the world around me only worsened the situation.

There were more steps emanating from the darkness. I was growing increasingly scared of the sounds, and my once-relaxed form was now subtly trembling in fear. I gripped the log which I was using to retain my balance, and then waited for any visual sign.

I listened in closely from behind the woodpile. I was able to hear breathing this time – short and heavy breathing. The accompanying footsteps had sped up slightly, and were growing nearer.

My body continued trembling slightly and my perception sharpening as I crawled over to the backside of the woodshed. I waited there – waited for whatever was nearing. It could have been anything, so I prepared myself for just that.

The crunchy footsteps in the snow turned into taps on concrete after a moment – indicating that whoever was walking about was now on the porch below the deck.

The sounds of movement in the darkness halted. I peered past the wood ahead of me, and noticed that my bedroom had visible light pouring out. I looked around, but was still unable to see the trespasser.

I heard more movement – this time, crunching in the cold snow – headed right towards my location. I had no choice but to move in front of the woodpile, as the offender was clearly walking around the backside of the small building.

I heard another voice this time around – a voice which I could recognize, but my mind was too clouded to put a name behind it. On the plus side, at least, my mind was able to relate the heard voice with a memory. The memory did not seem very pleasant, but the subtle recognition was of relief to me.

The footsteps drew very near around the backside of the shed, and I heard yet another mumble. I felt the need to make myself present, though at the same time I wanted to observe the situation further. My body remained frozen in place, though this time with the sensation of fear receding.

Another short moment passed, causing me to reach over the top of the wood pile in order to observe. I could hear the footsteps coming around the right side of the shed, and above all, I could see a figure moving towards me – one which I recognized immediately. I felt a wave of relaxation flow through me, returning the heightened sense of tranquility from before.

The familiar figure walked right past me as I leaned against the unlit woodpile – straight towards the house's door. He carried a wrapped cube in his arms – what looked to be some sort of gift.

The light from my bedroom was enough to light up a good portion of the house's entrance. This lit up everything around it, including the reflective red wrapping paper, and more importantly, the figure – who appeared to be none other than the "super" Mario.

Nervousness ran through me deep inside, but my view on reality was far too clouded to make anything of it. Instead, I felt attracted to the figure despite how uneasy I was around him. I removed my hands from the logs and stumbled slightly, but then I slowly walked towards Mario – who at this point was carefully setting the wrapped gift down in front of the door.

My enemy stood before me as I silently stumbled towards the door. I must've treaded with a fair amount of noise, as he slowly turned with a surprised look on his face. I froze in place, speechless but relieved.

We both stared each other down for a second. I had nothing to say, and he remained silent. There was a look of shock on Mario's face, and for some reason I felt like changing that. I slowly stumbled forth, approaching the plumber with a calm smile on my face.

Mario stared back at me, this time easing up and turning towards me. Neither of us made interaction as I neared, so I lifted my hand up in order to slowly wave at the trespasser. He stared back at me, and nodded in response.

It took me a second before I made it to the door before standing near Mario. He remained speechless, so I started off by calmly saying, "Hello." For some reason, my confidence seemed way above average. I was able to speak to him freely, whereas usually I'd stutter due to nervousness. Something was definitely up with myself, and I did not mind it whatever it was.

Despite my immediate friendliness, Mario stared back at me without saying a word. "You going to say anything?" I happily asked him, moving in slightly closer.

"I suppose so," the plumber replied after taking a deep breath. "I didn't think I'd see anyone out here. I thought you guys would all be inside sleeping by now," he quietly continued, suddenly seeming more at ease with me. "I just came along to drop something off for you guys."

I giggled at the plumber's response. "You'd be surprised how often I stay up this late," I explained with a slight slur in my speech. Mario was very easy for me to talk to, which was unusual considering I wasn't very social at the best of times. I preferred to stay in my own little world, but for some reason, my exhaustion seemed to change everything. "What is it you have in that box?" I then questioned, examining the large gift that Mario set directly in front of the door.

The plumber looked back down at it, and then explained to me, "It's a gift from Luigi and I. It's something that you'll all enjoy, so be sure to open it in the morning with the rest of your family."

"That's fair enough," I replied with a playful and friendly tone. "Maybe we'll have to get you something next year," I continued. "I don't think we have anything, so you'll have to check back later." At this point, I was feeling very friendly. I moved in closer to the plumber, and he didn't seem to mind me standing mere inches from his side. The plumber seemed to be completely at ease with me by now.

"Ah, don't worry about it," he replied, subtly smiling at me. "I just heard about why you guys are here, so I thought I might give you something to make your holiday better. I'm not here to ruin anyone's holidays, by the way."

"I guess I don't need to do that either," I replied with a smile. I lowered my head slightly, and continued, "But you don't really have to come all the way up here just to give us something. It's not like we deserve anything from you, anyway." At this point, my mind was racing – bringing back negative memories from my past with Mario. We were never really friends, and I felt bad about accepting something from him considering we were so high up on the mountain, and he came all the way up here just for us. "You just didn't have to do this," I then apologetically said.

Mario looked closer at me, and smiled slightly. "It's the season of giving. We just thought that since you guys are here, we might as well do just that. There's no need to feel bad about it."

The plumber's words touched me. I would have never expected him to come along, let alone to gift us something. I still had no idea what the gift was, but I assumed it was quite nice considering the trouble Mario went through to bring it up here. I quietly thanked him, and continued, "We just come up here for the winter break. Bowser goes away with Junior somewhere, and he leaves us behind because apparently he wants to spend more time with his son." My balance disappeared momentarily, so I reached over and grabbed the nearest object – Mario's shoulder. He seemed to notice my stumble, because he, too, reached towards me and placed a hand on my arm. "Are you alright? You seem a bit different than usual," he said with a slightly concerned expression on his face.

"Must be because I'm so tired right now," I drowsily replied. This seemed to be the case, but I did feel quite a bit different for some reason – happier, friendlier, and just better in general.

Mario smiled at me once more. "I guess that'll do the trick," he replied, "but you still seem a little more altered than tired. At least you're not attacking me, so that's a plus."

"I'm too tired to attack anyone right now," I giddily said. "I just want to lay down and pass out."

"You should probably do that very soon," the plumber replied. He gently let go of my arm, and I was able to retain my balance. "I just came to drop this off here," he continued, pointing down at the present. "I never expected to see anyone, let alone you. I thought you'd all be in bed by this time, but I guess I was wrong. I can leave you alone right now, if you want."

"You don't have to," I replied, smiling. "I'll just be more tired tomorrow morning."

"Just try getting some rest if you can," Mario said. "You don't want to be asleep while everyone else opens that present."

"I'm sure Lemmy will wake me up," I replied. "He always does on Christmas morning. Really early in the morning, right when everyone else is awake."

The plumber giggled at my reply. "I guess you don't have that Junior to keep you up all night in the first place, at least," he said with a smirk on his face.

I laughed quietly. He was right – Junior was a nuisance on Christmas, especially when he didn't get exactly what he wanted. "Yes," I replied. "He's off somewhere with his father. He disappeared from my holiday almost as quickly as he came into my life."

The plumber smirked. "I guessed you feel that way about him for a reason."

"Probably because he just kind of came along without warning," I replied. "Then Bowser treats him better suddenly, and we end up being kind of pushed to the side. He used to play with us a lot, and pay attention to us, but now he only does that with Junior. I don't mind anymore too much, but I still don't like that he pays so much attention to him instead of us anymore. It's almost like he just forgot about us when he came along randomly." My mind was racing. I was telling everything to one of my enemies – one whom I didn't expect to see, let alone converse with. He was also listening, which really got to me. Tears rolled off my snout – tears of acceptance; tears of happiness.

Mario placed gently his warm hand around the back of my head, and calmly said, "I don't really care about him too much either. Best you can do is just move on and wait for it to catch up with him. Sooner or later, your father will realize how much of a mistake it was forgetting about you guys."

"Fair enough, even though he's not my father," I said at the plumber's enlightenment. "But it's just not fair that we're being pushed to the side over here while they're probably having a much better time in some tropical area. I even asked before, but he just said that they go and plan stuff out while they're alone. He claims that we get in the way. He even told me about it straight-up that we get in the way most of the time."

"That's seemingly irresponsible for a king to say, in my opinion," Mario replied. "Though it's not like Bowser is the most responsible one around here."

"That's probably why Juinor came around so suddenly," I replied, looking over at Mario. "He finally got his first own son, so he just treated him better since then." Mario seemed to be interested in our conversation, and I didn't mind the thought of keeping him around longer. "But above all, I don't mind spending time here with my siblings. It's quiet, and it is in a nice area."

"In a kingdom you guys are not supposed to be in," he replied.

"Well," I quietly continued. "I know about that... But we're not here to cause trouble or anything. We're only here for the holiday, and we'll leave as soon as we get picked up."

"Don't worry about it," Mario continued. "I know you guys have been here for the past couple of years, and you haven't caused any trouble since then. I'm not going to bother you guys, and I don't think anyone else will."

He was being very honest with me. Despite being in Frosted Glacier, which is in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario claimed to not have much of a problem with us being there. Knowing that we didn't have to worry about much cheered me up considerably.

We then stared at each other for a moment. I smiled at Mario, causing him to soften his expression. I then yawned deeply, reminding myself just how early in the morning it was.

"You look relatively tired," Mario said with a calming voice. "Think you should get some rest before tomorrow morning?"

"Probably," I responded. I wanted to invite him in, but I had no idea how that would go. "But I wouldn't mind," I quietly stuttered. "Maybe to talk for a bit longer. I don't know." I shyly hid my face – my usual personality took over for a moment, though my perception was still heavily clouded.

Mario sighed. It took him a moment to come up with a response – which only ended up as a nod. "Sure," he said after noticing my momentary questioning stare. "I don't mind staying here for a little while. It's not like I have anything to go back home to right away anyway."

I smiled back at the plumber in response. "Thanks," I said. "Want to come inside, perhaps?" I quietly asked. The outside air was very cold, causing my metabolism to slow down. My mind was slowing with it, and I needed some heat to warm up.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Mario asked me with a slightly worried expression.

I pondered the thought for a moment. I had no idea whether or not my siblings would react kindly to bringing Mario into the house. My bedroom was nearest to the door, so in reality the plumber would not be very difficult to bring in. "We'll have to go right to my room if you're to come in," I nervously explained to him.

"I suppose I can go in," the plumber replied with a grin. "I just don't want to be seen by anyone else in there."

"Nothing's going to happen as long as we're quiet in there," I replied. I yawned once more, and immediately felt like collapsing on the floor. I seemed to lose my balance for another moment, but instantly regained it. "Lemmy and Iggy are the closest to my room. The rest are upstairs," I tiredly continued explaining. "I'm sure if they find out you're here, then they won't really care. They're pretty carefree most of the time, especially Lemmy."

The plumber chuckled. "That's good news, at least. I can take the gift inside and place it under the tree," he replied.

"I'll do that myself, as it's on the second level," I said. "I'm getting cold out here. Let's go just get into that really cozy house."

He nodded and smiled at me, and then picked up his gift from the floor. We were both standing directly in front of the wooden door, so I carefully pulled it back, revealing the lush interior of our winter vacation home.

I was immediately relaxed by the heat from the fire as I stepped in – the one I forgot to feed. Mario's visiting got in the way, preventing me from getting the original job done. I turned around, and met his eyes as he stood directly behind me. I goofily smiled at him, and then asked, "Can you go get some wood for the fire? I was supposed to get it before you came along."

Mario looked at me for a second. "I guess so," he replied. "Take this with you while you're at it," he added, holding out his present. I took it out of his hands, and then thanked him. The plumber walked back outside the door, and I turned around and proceeded towards the interior of the house. I walked to the end of the hallway on the right side of the living room, and then up the stairs at the end of that. The Christmas tree was on a loft overlooking the spacious living room, and the only way to get there was to walk next to everyone else's bedrooms. I certainly did not want to wake anyone up, and my sluggish state of mind did not help the situation. Despite my reduced balance, I quickly and quietly walked to the loft where I set the present down underneath the tree, adding it to the collection. There were already many there, and my addition just made the pile slightly larger. I could not wait to open them the next morning, though I did have the patience.

I turned around, and peered over the railing overlooking the main area of the house – the living room. Mario was already in there – poking around the fireplace with three large pieces of wood resting on the mantle.

I headed back for the stairway at the end of the hall, and to my delight, there was no sign of life in the house.

Moments later, I walked back into the living room. My bedroom was just at the beginning of the hallway, so I motioned to Mario for him to enter. I then walked in, and surely enough, a second later, the plumber walked in after me, firmly closing the door behind himself. I quickly jumped onto my bed in the corner of the room, while Mario looked around for a seat. I pointed towards the one in front of my computer, instructing him to sit down.

Neither of us immediately had anything to say, so I initiated a conversation by quietly saying, "Thanks for coming up here, by the way."

Mario looked back at me, and smiled. "The season of giving should be treated just like that," he explained. "We had a little something to give you guys, and I had to walk all the way up here to deliver it. I didn't expect to see you outside, but I guess it's a good thing you were out there. I actually don't mind warming up in here for a few minutes before heading back."

"I didn't expect to see you here either," I replied. I smiled, and continued, "I actually got slightly scared at the beginning before I even saw you."

"I'd also be unsettled by something moving around in the night," the plumber replied. "I'm just honestly surprised you didn't attack me or anything when we first saw each other," he said with a sincere expression. "After years of knowing you, I'd expect to you to do something about me."

I tilted my head at the plumber. He had it all wrong, so I began explaining, "I didn't attack you because I was far too tired, and I feel really happy right now. I didn't want to change that by getting into a fight. Also, when I recognized you, I knew who you were, so I didn't have to be as scared. I guess that relief really put me off from attacking. Plus, you didn't do anything to me, so there really was no reason to attack you. I also don't really care about this entire fighting thing, but I have nowhere else to go and I'm perfectly fine living in the castle with Bowser. Our fights in the past are just things of the past right now. We shouldn't be fighting each other during the holidays. It's not worth ruining your days off, and I don't think you care about ruining mine." I felt that my explanation was very thorough, but I did notice that it was a bit too long. He may have been getting bored with my words, but I expected him to say something about it had that been the case.

The man sitting near me was able to keep up with my lengthy response. He replied, "I was surprised more than anything to see you outside at this time. My plan was to just bring your gift here and leave it at the door. Since I was doing something out of kindness, I couldn't just attack you as that would have most definitely ruined something for you... You're right – I didn't want to ruin your holidays. It's also nice of you for inviting me in like this. I was getting pretty cold out there, and I still have to walk all the way back home."

"You can stay here for the night," I kindly offered out of reflex. "There's enough room on the couch for you to stay. You shouldn't go back right away if you're really cold and tired."

"I'm not all that tired," Mario replied. "For the most part, I'm just a bit cold from coming up here."

"Then at least you can warm up," I cheerfully said.

My body was becoming less responsive by the second. I turned over, and leaned against my bed's headboard. "I'm getting really tired," I said to Mario with a smile. I pushed myself into a sitting position against the wooden headboard. My blankets were all underneath me, though I was warm enough as is.

Mario turned around, and appeared to glance at the clock on the bottom-right corner of my monitor. "I assume you'd be pretty tired at this time," he then said to me with a smile. "I'm almost ready to get some rest as well."

I calmly smiled at him, and explained once again, "As I said before, you can stay here for the night. Then you won't be so cold and tired when you leave the next morning."

The plumber subtly shook his head, and explained, "I don't want to deal with everyone else should they find out I'm here. And what do you think Bowser would do if he found out you just let me into the house without saying anything about it?"

I paused. Mario asked the one question I was completely unsure about. I really had no idea how Bowser would react, but in hopes of convincing the man to stay, I said to him, "He'll probably be fine with that as long as nothing happened. He's probably not as bad as you think."

"Then again, he might be treating you better than he would treat me for obvious reasons," Mario added.

"I guess so," I silently replied, looking down at the thick blanket. I suddenly felt the need to cover myself, so I maneuvered my body partially underneath the blanket, eventually covering only my legs with it. "I'm getting ready to pass out over here," I added.

"Then you should probably do that before your brother wakes you up in the morning," Mario replied, kneeling next to my bed as I sat above it. My irrational friendliness kicked in again, causing me to once again kindly offer a night at our vacation house. He refused as before, and then said, "I have to be home by morning to do exactly what you guys are going to do here."

I smiled at him, and drowsily said, "I hope you have a good time. I don't have anything to give you, but thanks for whatever you brought us."

"No need to thank us for that," he said. "You guys were left out by your own family, and that bothered me for some reason. I thought it might have been worth it to come up here and make it a bit better, so I did. I don't regret coming up here either to talk to you for a little while."

"It wasn't bad in the first place, but it could be much better," I replied. "I just can't thank you enough for going through the trouble of coming up here to deliver a present."

"There was no problem doing that," Mario replied, smiling at me.

We happily stared at each other for a second. I pulled the covers higher up onto myself, and then my computer interrupted us with a notification sound from behind Mario. He turned around, but didn't mention it.

I knew exactly what it may have been. "Probably one of my friends online," I explained. "He replies with one word most of the time, so I can forget about him from now on." I giggled, causing Mario to smile.

"That can get quite frustrating," the plumber said to me. "Just forget about him for now. Possibly for a week, maybe a year if you feel like it."

"I'll reply eventually to him," I said. I yawned once more before lowering my body in front of the headboard. I was growing increasingly tired, and was almost ready to pass out on the spot.

There was a moment of silence, but Mario broke it by saying, "I think we're both ready for some rest now."

He moved in closer to the top of the bed where I was sitting. I was still feeling a heightened sense of friendliness, and I didn't particularly want him to leave so soon. He would have to leave sooner or later, however, and I needed to get some rest soon. Our eyes' contact dissipated as I looked down at the blankets once more. I nervously looked back up at the plumber, and asked, "Can you come in a bit closer..?"

He shrugged, looking into my cheerful eyes as he kneeled in closer towards me. I felt a rush of happiness flow through me, and I instantly found myself with my arms tightly wrapped around one of my greatest enemies – one turned for the better.

Mario placed his arms around the back of my head – pulling me into the same warm embrace which I was supplying. I least expected this, and I assumed he did as well, but it was the best I could do at the time. "You're really nice," I said as a compliment. "I can't thank you enough for coming up here and giving us a gift." My mind, still altered, fully agreed with Mario's kindness. I didn't think I'd see that again for a very long time, so I had to savor the moment with him.

"We'll probably see each other again in the future," Mario said, slowly releasing me from our embrace. I let go of him, and nodded. "Even if it's not the best of times, we can make the most of it," he then explained.

"I just hope things don't really change between us," I replied. "I don't want to be enemies forever."

The plumber rested his hands by my side on the blanket. "We'll see about that," he said. "If things don't work out between the kingdoms, then we can at least keep this between us."

"That's a good idea," I said in agreement. I tiredly yawned again, realizing that I desperately needed to get some rest.

The plumber backed off slightly, and quietly said, "Let me get this for you." He then grabbed onto the edges of the blanket nearest to me, and pulled it up to my chest. I happily smiled at him, and nodded. "I guess I better get going," he said before glancing over at my computer monitor. "It's five in the morning. Looks like neither of us are getting much sleep tonight."

I died a little inside upon hearing that he was ready to leave. I wanted him to remain the entire night, though I couldn't force him to stay. I could only hope to see him again in the future, and that he doesn't forget about this day. I slowly waved at him, and then chirped, "I'll see you later. Happy holidays."

"Hey, you too," he replied, grinning maliciously at me. I didn't think of it, however, as we just spent some great moments together.

Almost as seemingly quickly as he came in, Mario left, leaving me alone to rest for the night. My computer's displays were still powered on, though at this point I couldn't be bothered to get up and shut them off. All I needed was rest, and I was already warmly snuggled underneath my thick blankets. I gently smiled at the thought of Mario's gift, and knew I'd have to wait until morning to open it up. I could wait – I had the patience.

My eyelids grew heavier amongst the bright light of the displays. There was no harm in leaving them on, so they would remain that way. I pulled the covers slightly higher, and nestled myself below the cozy blankets. Morning would come as quickly as my heavy eyelids fell. My thought process was slipping away, and I was snuggled in warmth – all that was left to do was to wait. Tomorrow would come – when I could open the thoughtful gift.

* * *

**Drunken fruit cakes! The mystery to Larry's altered mindset has been solved!**

**So what's in the box Mario brought along? Was he actually nice to gift something thoughtful to the Koopalings, or is he just pulling something off on them and Larry got in the way? There's only one way to find out! The next chapter will be uploaded the next day from posting this one, so keep that in mind if you read this near release.**


	2. The Morning After

**Merry Christmas! Even though it's three and a half hours past, it still counts as Christmas considering I haven't slept between then and now. I based Larry's bed time off of my own in this story.**

* * *

I was quickly awaken by a violent shaking at my side. My tired eyes heavily struggled to stay open, as if weighed down by an outside force. Someone woke me up, but I was too groggy to process anything.

"Get out of bed, lazy one!" a high-pitched voice exclaimed at my left. I groggily looked over, but was pushed back into my soft bed. "Come open presents with us!" The same high-pitched voice shouted again right by my head. "You're going to miss out if you stay here!"

I blindly reached over towards the voice, and playfully pulled the source onto the bed with me. "I'm not going to miss out of you do as well," I playfully said, wrestling my smallest brother in my arms. He jumped up, and aggressively wrapped his arms around my neck, forcing me to do the same with him.

"Let me go! I want to go open stuff, but not without you!" He said, speech muffled through the blankets as I squeezed him tightly. Lemmy struggled, but I had him pinned far too tightly. He could only struggle as I had the upper hand.

As much as I wanted to remain in bed, I needed to meet with the rest of the family. My sleep certainly helped, as my mind was no longer clouded, and I felt much more alive. Then I remembered the events from the previous night – Mario coming into my room. I had no idea how anyone else in my family would react to that, but I had to tell them the source of the gift. "I'll get out now," I said, freeing Lemmy from my tight grasp. As carefree as he was, I would not want to tell him that Mario entered the house. He was most likely to mindlessly tell everyone else what happened despite anything I say. I decided that I would just have to think of something when they ask – perhaps that I just found the gift as I went to feed the fire. My last plan would probably work; I'd just have to wait for the right time to reveal it.

Lemmy playfully jumped off my bed, tightly grabbing onto my now-exposed arm. He tugged on it with surprising strength – especially when his small size was taken into consideration.

I groggily pushed the covers off of myself, and then turned towards the left side of my bed. Lemmy was staring into my eyes with his own – large and bright as ever; excited for what was to come. His cheerful spirit instantly lifted my mood, appearing to wake me further. I was almost planted to my bed, but I still managed to push myself out of it – though not without Lemmy's help as he tugged at my arm.

I sat up on the edge of my bed, and rubbed my tired eyes for a moment. The previous night had taken its toll on me, and I felt almost too tired to get up. I needed to, however, as more than likely the rest of my family was waiting for me up at the loft. "Let's go up there," I then happily but tiredly said to my smallest brother. "I'm ready to open up some gifts."

Lemmy, as quickly as he appeared in my room, disappeared to upstairs – where the rest of my family would be waiting. I stood up, and groggily walked the path that Lemmy took – to the right of my door, and up the stairs at the end of the hallway – the same path I walked to place Mario's present under the tree.

I arrived upstairs in the loft after a minute. Surely enough, as expected, the rest of my family was patiently waiting up there, all seated around the pile of presents on the floor. There was one gift that stuck out from the rest – a large cube shape covered in metallic red wrapping paper. No one seemed to notice it, but it was the one Mario brought in the previous night. I had to reveal it to everyone that he came sometime during the night and dropped it off. I only discovered it when I grabbed some wood to feed the fire, according to my story.

I stepped over the plain wood floor towards the rest of my family, and joined Lemmy's side at the base of the tree. He was already holding a small and neatly-wrapped box in his hands, bubbling with excitement to open it. I looked around at the many gifts under the tree – some large, some small. Different colors, shapes, and everything. There were many there – two for everyone, at the very least. I reached over to the nearest one, and read the label. It was rather small and dense, but it wasn't labeled to myself.

"Pass this off to Iggy," I tiredly whispered to Lemmy. He was on my right, and as always, Iggy to his right. He accepted the gift, and smiled at me.

The room fell quiet for a second. My oldest brother, usually the most responsible, chimed to all of us, "Merry Christmas! I'm a bit excited to find out what everyone got."

Before anyone else could interrupt, Lemmy broke the silence by joyfully asking, "Can we open presents now? I really want to find out what we got."

"Sure you can – there's no reason to wait," my oldest brother replied. I smiled at him, and he noticed my glance and grinned back at me. I then reached over to underneath the tree, and pulled a small rectangular box out. It was labeled to myself, but before I bothered opening it, I looked around the room at all the commotion going on. The sound of shredding paper was nearly overwhelming, but that sound was drowned by everyone's conversations. The sights made me happy – I always enjoyed seeing my family members all happy like this, especially when we were all together.

I momentarily glanced around the room to see the rest of my siblings all crowded around the same tree. Lemmy and Iggy were on my right side, while Ludwig was across the tree on the other side nearest the wall, while Morton, Roy, and Wendy each sat close to him, slightly distanced from me. They were all working at the wrapped up gifts in their hands.

I turned back to my own gift after a moment, and smiled at it. In order to relieve all the excitement that Christmas Eve brought along, I gently cut the wrapping paper with my claws. I had no idea what was inside, but the box felt relatively dense. Christmas morning proved to be exciting for everyone, and I needed to take part.

I carefully removed the wrapping from the medium rectangular box, and revealed a rather interesting black box with red accents along the front. There was a picture of a device I use every day at my computer – the keyboard, though this one was rather sleek looing. It read _CM Storm _along the top of the box, and _Quickfire Rapid _along the bottom. It was an interesting product, so I set it off to the side, and would further inspect it later. There were more gifts to be opened before we could get the last one done. Despite wanting to open it up as the very last, I happily got up, and walked towards the banister where the large box was placed. I took it over next to Lemmy, and gently set it down behind him. He curiously stared back at it, so I whispered, "That one's to be opened at the very end."

My small brother nodded at me. I was still very tired, though the initial unboxing of that new computer keyboard woke me up slightly. I was interested in testing it out, though I'd want to open everything else beforehand.

I tiredly reached in towards the pile under the tree, and pulled out another gift. This time, the box was of medium-size, labeled for myself, and wrapped in dark blue paper. Its weight wasn't very dense, but it still had some mass to it. As with before, I carefully peeled back the paper with my sharp claws, revealing an ordinary brown cardboard box. I set it down on my lap before glancing around at everyone else in the room. They were still unraveling gifts, creating a large mess at the same time.

"Well this is going to be a bit of fun!" someone shouted from the other side of the Christmas tree – my largest brother, Roy. He was holding a bottle in his hand of some sort, though I could not recognize it. It contained a rich brown liquid. He set it down before I could ask, though I wasn't very interested in the first place.

Sitting next to Roy was my only sister – Wendy. She was in the midst of unravelling a present, but let out an ear-piercing shrill once it was revealed. Everyone else in the room momentarily glared at her, causing her to hide her face. It appeared to be some sort of makeup kit – expected for someone like her to receive. "I'll look ten times as beautiful as I do now," she then announced. No one replied, which most likely angered her. I chuckled, and brought my attention back down to my own gift. The ordinary brown box sat in my lap, just waiting to be opened. I carefully ran my claw down the length of the tape which was holding the box together, pulling it open to reveal a slab of closed-cell foam.

I steadily removed the thick black foam amongst the commotion of my family, revealing a finely crafted yet simple wooden box underneath. "This is really interesting," I mumbled to myself.

Before I could further examine the mysterious box, someone poked me on the right side. I turned, and was met with an excited and happy looking Lemmy. In his hands he held a rather large clear container which contained what looked to be very many different candies. "Want to have some of these?" He asked, joyfully.

"Maybe later," I replied. I hadn't fully awaken at this point, and my stomach still felt heavy rather heavy from the night before.

Lemmy smiled, and softly said to me, "Just ask me if you want some." I smiled at him, and subtly nodded.

Lemmy was the happiest in the family. He would always try his hardest to cheer someone up, and he would always be polite to those around him. These traits were rubbing off on Iggy, as he spent the most time with Lemmy. They were always together, and I managed to sneak quite a bit of time in with them.

My eyes wandered past Lemmy towards the spot where Iggy was sitting. He seemed to be struggling with a tightly wrapped gift, prying at it with his sharp claws to no avail. I kindly offered to assist, but my tallest brother declined before catching an edge on the tape. I smiled at his success, and then brought my attention back to my own gift. The finely crafted wooden box curiously stared up at me, enticing me to open it. I pulled it away from its original closed cell cradle, revealing the entirety of the box. It was about the same size as the keyboard box I unwrapped earlier. There were a couple brass clasps on one edge, along with a keyhole from which a key was inserted – with a curious note attached to the end. I tilted my head, and carefully pulled the key out of the hole. I held it in my hand, feeling the dense weight of the rather small brass key. I then read the note attached, and handwritten in small letters was _keep this one to yourself. _I pondered the thought as to why, and then scanned around my surroundings. Lemmy was opening a pile of many small gifts, while Iggy was still struggling with his tightly-wrapped present. At my left side, Ludwig was leafing through a thick piano book, while Morton was looking at a rather large Darkland history book. Wendy was mesmerized in the various colors in her new makeup kit, and Roy was handling a set of dumbbells. No one would see me, allowing me to privately open up my secret gift.

I casually placed the key back inside the hole, and then turned it. It stopped with a light yet reassuring "click", informing me that the box was unlocked. I glanced around once more; I was still clear.

I carefully pulled back the box's clamshell lid, revealing more closed cell foam with several compartments cut into it. I gently reached into one of said compartments, and pulled out a small circular device with what appeared to be a Li-Po battery connected to it via small cable. It appeared quite delicate, so I set it back down inside its original closed cell container.

There was a larger cutout in the left side of the box. Within that cutout, I found a receiver with an antenna attached to it and a USB connection on the side. I wondered for a moment, thinking about what this could have been. There were many of the small black circular devices inside the case, which resembled tiny cameras. It would require further investigation which I would perform once the unwrapping session was complete. At the base of the left side compartment, I found a small pamphlet with a label on it. "Here it is," I whispered to myself. The label on the top of the paper read, _Wireless USB Spy Camera. _I thought it was rather neat, and I now understood the reason for it to be kept a secret. My cover would be blown had I let everyone know what was in my possession, thus ruining my secretive gift. Before I even managed to reseal the wooden case, a small voice interrupted me from my right. "What do you have there? Can I look at it?"

As much as I wanted to accept Lemmy's request, I wanted to remain true to the note on the key. "I'll have to look at it a bit more," I said to him. "I think I'll have to assemble it."

"Okay. I can help you with that later, if you want," he responded. I nodded at Lemmy, but would most likely not mention the devices in the future. I wanted to stick to what the note said, because for some reason I felt it was important.

My small brother turned back to Iggy, who finally seemed to be using his claws against paper instead of tape this time around. "I finally got it!" He exclaimed from the other side of Lemmy. Iggy was loud, though not enough to annoy me. I smiled in his direction, and then took the wooden box off of my lap, and placed it back inside its original packaging. I set it aside, and then grabbed the gift I wanted to open the most. I carefully manipulated the rather heavy gift – from Mario – directly in front of myself. I was going to explain the situation to everyone in a moment, minus Mario entering as I had no idea how anyone would react to that.

Before I had a chance to even survey the room to see if the coast was clear, I heard Iggy shout, "It's cummingtonite!"

As expected, the entire house fell silent for a moment, before a fit of irrational laughter took over from all directions. I had no idea why everyone was laughing. It must've been some sort of inside joke, as I didn't understand it the slightest.

"What's so funny?" I then questioned my smallest brother on my right.

"Cummingtonite, get it?" Lemmy choked out, unable to breathe due to his laughter. I shrugged at him, but was then handed over some sort of rock with a small label attached to the side. I looked at it, and read, _Mg__2__Mg__5__Si__8__O__22__(OH)__2\. _I had no idea what any of that meant, though it didn't surprise me as it came from Iggy. "This is what it is?" I then asked him.

"Yes, it is, Larry," Iggy replied, still giggling under his breath.

"Don't explain the entire thing to him, now, Iggy or Lemmy," my oldest brother said from the farthermost side of the loft.

"We won't," the inseparable pair said in conjunction with one another, snickering simultaneously.

I didn't even bother questioning, as whenever Ludwig said something, it was not argued with. On top of that, I really wanted to open the present that Mario brought along the previous night. The commotion in the room did subside after Iggy's seemingly innocent joke, so I figured to begin.

I stood up, and slightly nervously explained to my siblings, "Here's an interesting gift I found outside last night when I went to get some wood to feed the fire." I stood before the large reflective red box, leading everyone's eyes towards it with my finger. "It's from someone who we don't really like very much," I nervously continued, treading very carefully with my speech. "He was... Well, he seemed to be very nice to me- Us, as he brought along this gift and left a note on it." I could only hope that no one heard my stutter, and that if they did, that it would go unnoticed.

"Wha'does the note say?" Roy asked from the side of the loft. I nervously met eyes with him, catching his somewhat demanding stare.

"I'll read it out to you guys," I responded, picking the letter up from the gift. I quickly tore open the side of the envelope, revealing the edge of a plain white sheet which I unsheathed. I unfolded the paper in my hands, and then took a deep breath as I stared at the message on it. "Here's what they have to say to us. It appears to be from the princess, and then Mario." I announced, beginning on the top of the page. "Here goes... Dear Koopalings. I am well aware that you guys are in my kingdom for the holidays, and despite not technically being allowed there, I've decided to let things slide for now. I haven't had any problems with you being there, so if this good behavior continues, then you won't have anything to worry about up in that house. I wish you all a merry Christmas, despite technically being the opposition."

I paused momentarily, allowing a tear to run down my snout. Peach's words really touched me, especially as I read them in front of my family. No one had made a comment at this point, so I assumed her words had a similar effect on them.

I sighed, and then scanned further down the page. This time, Mario's message appeared, ready for me to read it to everyone else in the house. "Here's the one from Mario," I said, secretively wiping the tear from my snout. They all looked up at me with curious eyes, so I continued down the page, "Luigi and I threw this special gift together for you guys. It's for all of you, so be ready to see it as the box opens. We know it's not much, but it shows our appreciation for your good behavior in the Mushroom Kingdom. Our princess doesn't know about this gift, so you'll all have to thank us personally later on. For now, however, we can only wish you guys a great holiday, and hope you enjoy the gift I dropped off sometime in the morning – probably when you guys were all asleep. Remember: it's for everyone there, so open it together!"

Everyone before me fell silent as I finished off. They clearly had no clue how to react to this. I didn't either, though I did talk to Mario when he came. He was very nice to me, and I only expected something good from him. "We'll have to repay him later on," I quietly said to my brothers and sister.

"Let's just get this box open," Lemmy suggested before everyone else. I looked into his eyes as he walked over, and noticed that they were glossier than usual. Peach and Mario's words clearly affected him the same way they affected me. There wasn't much conversing going on, as my siblings' minds were most likely racing with thoughts – both positive and negative.

We all gathered around the box on our knees. I could observe that everyone was brimming with excitement, though at the same they were thinking about the kind letter. I experiencing very deep thoughts about it, so I could only imagine the same for my siblings. "I'll get this one," I said. I knew it would be a great gift, considering how Mario treated me the night before. "We're going to have to thank him for this one," I added. No one responded, presumably waiting for the reveal.

I started by digging my claw underneath a flap in the wrapping before tearing it open. The metallic paper cleanly tore free, revealing a black cardboard box underneath.

_Pull here, _a small tag instructed on the top, tied to what looked to be some sort of handle. "Does anyone want to pull it open?" I shyly asked, still affected by the enemies' kind words.

"I think you should do it because you found it," Morton suggested, kneeling down across the box from me. I smiled at him, causing him to glance up and grin. I set my sights back on the cardboard box, and placed my fingers around the tab. "Here it is," I said to everyone, glancing up at the tight circle formed. "I hope it's as nice as the messages."

I then took a deep breath, anticipating what was to come. "I'll open it now," I mumbled, though probably too quietly for anyone to hear. I began by tugging on the tab, though nothing happened. It seemed to be caught in something, so I gave it more force, finally releasing it after a firm "click" from within the gift.

The lid was loose now. I carefully removed it, only to reveal whiteness – some sort of white powder. There was also something sitting on top of the powder – a small note. I reached in, removing the small paper from its original enclosure.

There was a moment of restlessness and confusion. We were just sent a very polite message, and then a box of white powder. I gently scraped the top of the powder with my free hand, pulling it away to feel the consistency-

My ears were met with a loud "pop" right before my face, knocking the wind out of me and sending me back.

I momentarily found myself unable to breathe while gagging a tasteless dust out of my airways. I could feel it coming – death was awaiting. I turned myself over to my front in attempt to free up my lungs, but it was no use. I was slowly suffocating from the dust ejected from Mario's "gift".

Timeless moments passed. My airways slowly cleared, though a sharp pain still resided in my chest. I slowly brought myself to my hands and knees, eyes desperately darting around the room. There was white dust all over, along with a small paper on the floor – the note I found inside the gift. I picked it up once again and scraped off the excess powder, revealing more handwriting.

My heart immediately sank as I made out the words: _That's what you guys get for being such imbiciles. Learn how to behave yourselves for once in your worthless lives, and quit bothering us._

I angrily rammed my fist into the wooden floor, sending a shock of extreme pain through my arm with the impact. Uncontrollable tears began falling – tears of pain; tears of loss. I trusted Mario the night before, and now it was all gone.

I crossed my arms over the floor, and sobbed into them. Nothing would be able to cheer me up at this point, especially considering how Mario helped me through part of the previous night. I had to talk about it with someone – mainly to get it out, but also to convince my family to never trust Mario, no matter the circumstances.

I heard various fits of coughing around me amongst the white dust cloud. It was settling, albeit very slowly. My siblings were all around me – most likely feeling the same physical pain I was in, but nowhere near my level of emotional pain.

I heard a prominent light sobbing off to my left, further adding to the pain I was already dealing with. I recognized it as Lemmy, balled up underneath the Christmas tree amongst shredded wrapping paper. I slowly crawled over to him, knowing that if anyone were to cheer me up at that moment, it would be Lemmy.

I made it to his motionless form after a moment. He was breathing and sobbing, but seemed unresponsive to stimuli. I gently tapped his shoulder with my now-bruised hand, causing him to glance up before placing his face back in his arms.

"You alright?" I choked out, trying to check the well-being of my smallest brother. He nodded, but continued sobbing. I gently stroked the top of his dusty head, trying anything to cheer him up. Things were usually not right if Lemmy was sad. He didn't react. Instead, he continued sobbing as before, causing me to shed a couple tears. I looked up, taking my attention away from Lemmy, and gratefully saw Iggy crawling his way over to us. He immediately attended to his favorite brother, causing him to lift his head and smile slightly. They were together once again, allowing me to tend to the rest of my family.

I clumsily stumbled to my feet, then slowly moved myself across the dusty floor, and over to the side of the loft. There was a small area with two deep orange couches on it – exactly where I found the rest of my family members: Wendy, Ludwig, Roy, and Morton. If there was any time to explain Mario's presence, then it was now. They'd hopefully understand, and they would most definitely not punish me for it – especially after how he treated me.

I turned over to my oldest brother, as he was usually highly understanding. I decided that he would be the first I explain the situation to. I had the small note clutched in my left hand, ready to display if necessary.

"Ludwig..?" I nervously said, staring up at my oldest brother with tears in my eyes.

He looked down at me with a menacing glare – one that quickly converted to a concerned look as we made eye contact. "What is it?" He asked, noticing my teary eyes and kneeling down directly in front of me.

I hesitated. I didn't know how he would react, but I needed to talk about it with someone. "When Mario came last night..." He tilted his head, and I was almost scared to mention it. I continued, however, as I couldn't just keep it a secret. "He-He talked to me when I went to get wood... He was really n-nice... To-To m-me." Uncontrollable tears fell as I struggled to speak. I started bawling after a second, causing Ludwig to come in closer and place his arms around me.

"I understand. You don't have to explain anymore," he said in a very calming and soothing voice. My bawling lessened, and I immediately felt reassured.

"We should make him pay for what he did to us," Roy interrupted from the couch. He stared at me, and continued, "For you, Larry," with a silly revengeful look on his face. I cracked a smile at Roy, pleased with his encouragement, despite being a joke. "Thanks," I mumbled to him with a sniffle. "We still have to get him back for all that," I continued, barely audible this time.

"Let's pound him. I'll let you take the final blow," Roy replied, nodding at me.

"Not even that," Morton added. He was sitting next to Roy on the couch, but he had a very different mindset about how to handle the situation. "Maybe we can pay him back next year, and not say anything about it until then."

I pondered that idea. I personally wanted a formal apology from the plumber, but waiting didn't seem like a bad plan. We'd be able to get him back, and best of all, when he least expects it. I looked back over at Morton, and smiled. "I like that one."

Ludwig, having let go of me at this point, joined everyone else back on the couch. From the left side, nearest to the tree, Iggy and Lemmy stumbled over within each other's arms. "We heard that," Iggy interrupted, walking up to me with his arm around Lemmy. "I like it," my smallest brother added.

Covered in dust, gathered around a small area, we all glanced at each other, and then nodded simultaneously.

"Three hundred sixty five days it is, then," I suggest with a sly grin on my face. "The enemy will fall."

* * *

**So that makes the end of my Christmas-themed short story, though I'm sure it can be enjoyed anytime during the year.**

**I'm certainly going to write a sequel to this, and you probably already have a good idea when that's being released. **

**Feel free to leave a review telling me what you think about this story.**

**Being an avid Minecrafter, I had the sudden urge to build this story's house in the game. PM me if you're interested in the save file, and I can supply you with a download link. **


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